FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Marion County authorities say a July 2023 domestic-related shooting death was in self-defense.
Marion County Prosecutor Jeffery Freeman and Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Riffle discussed the results of a year-long investigation into the shooting death of Charles Echols at a Tuesday morning news conference.
Echols was shot by Michael Costello during a confrontation at a woman’s home on July 20, 2023. The woman has only been identified by authorities as Ms. Chacon.
Riffle said all evidence currently points to the shooting being in self-defense. He said that’s backed up by an autopsy report and the state Medical Examiner. The sheriff left the door open if new evidence surfaces.
“However, if any compelling evidence or substantial evidence were to be brought forward, certainly the case could be reopened and reevaluated at that time,” Riffle said.
After not being at the home of Ms. Chacon and not being in a relationship for about a year, Marion County Prosecutor Jeffery Freeman said Echols went to her home after learning she was in a relationship with Costello, who was at the residence. Echols tried to enter through the front door but found it was locked, then went in the garage door using the code he remembered from their relationship.
Once in the home, Freeman said, Ms. Chacon met him while on the phone with a friend and tried to get Echols to leave. A series of confrontations erupted when Echols knocked Chacon down to get to Costello in Ms. Chacon’s bedroom. Echols beat Costello and choked him until he lost sight.
Much of the confrontation was heard by 911 operators after Costello initiated a call for help.
Chacon then convinced Echols to leave and began to walk him toward the stairs when he broke free from Chacon and attempted to attack Costello again. Costello has retrieved his legal firearm and shot Echols five times.
“Mr. Costello defended himself as well as Ms. Chacone by discharging his firearm five times, striking Mr. Echols five times,” Freeman said.
Shortly after the killing, Freeman met with detectives and slowed the pace of the investigation to make sure all of the evidence was properly reviewed. Each time more evidence was developed, the Echols family was notified and each time new evidence was added to the investigation, it continued to lead investigators to believe the use of force was justified, Freeman said.
“All of the information that we could gather from all collateral sources in an effort to not prove this was a justified shooting, but to disprove it,” Freeman said.
Freeman said the autopsy was the missing piece of evidence for several months in the case. The report was faxed to his office on June 16 and the official copy followed about one week later. Freeman said this was not the only case to be delayed due to a single crime lab that processes evidence statewide.
“The autopsy confirmed that all five gunshots that struck Mr. Echols were front-to-back in nature; they were all at a moderate distance, and there were no close-contact gunshots,” Freeman said.
Freeman also said the Castle Doctrine would not apply in this case because the use of deadly force had already been initiated by Echols.
“It’s really outside the Castle Doctrine anyway because deadly force has already been employed by Mr. Echols against Mr. Costello, and he was prevented from completing that by Ms. Chacone’s actions,” Freeman said.
No family members were present at the Tuesday news conference.